THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming. Boy,
it's great to be back in Pittsburgh. (Applause.) Thank you all for
being here. I'm proud to be introduced by a great man, a great athlete
and a great advisor. He said, when you ride your bike, don't fall
off. (Laughter.) I need to listen to him more. What a wonderful
person Lynn Swann is, and I'm proud to have him on my team.
(Applause.)

We've had a great day traveling in Ohio, and now in Pennsylvania,
with a stop in West Virginia. (Applause.) The crowds are big, the
enthusiasm high, we're on our way to four more years. (Applause.)

I'm here to ask for your help. (Applause.) I'm out traveling the
country asking for people's vote. I have more I want to do to see that
this country is safer, stronger and better.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you!

THE PRESIDENT: Make sure you get your friends and neighbors to
register to vote. And then, come election time, tell them we all have
a duty in this country to participate in the elections. And when you
get them headed toward the polls, you might remind them that George
Bush and Dick Cheney are ready to lead this country with strength and
vision and optimism. (Applause.)

I wish Laura were here. (Applause.) Man, did I luck out when she
said "yes." (Applause.) She's a great wife and wonderful, wonderful
person and a wonderful First Lady. Listen, I'm going to give you some
reasons why you need to put me back in office -- but perhaps the most
important reason is so that Laura will have four more years as the
First Lady. (Applause.) She sends her best.

I'm proud to be on the stage with Senator Arlen Specter. You need
to put him back in to the United States Senate. (Applause.) I'm proud
to be on the stage with Rick Santorum, the United States senator.
(Applause.) I thank Congressman -- Congresswoman Melissa Hart and
Congressman Tim Murphy for their service. (Applause.) I want to thank
everybody who is running for office. I particularly want to say thanks
to the grassroots activists who are here. You're the people who are
going to put up the signs and make the phone calls. (Applause.) Find
those discerning Democrats and wise independents and get them to join
our cause to make this country a great place for everybody.
(Applause.)

I understand a fellow Texan was here, Lee Ann Womack. I want to
thank her for her entertainment. (Applause.) Proud to call her
friend.

Listen, I'm here to ask for the vote. And every incumbent who asks
for your vote has to answer a question, and that is: Why? Why? Why
should the American people give me the great privilege of serving for
four more years? (Applause.)

In the past years -- in the past years, we have done a lot
together. We've come through a lot. And we've accomplished a great
deal. But there's only reason to look backward at the record, and that
is to determine who best to lead the nation forward. (Applause.)

I'm here to ask for the vote. I'm traveling in Ohio, and West
Virginia, and Pennsylvania asking for the vote because we have so much
more to do to move this country forward. I want to be your President
for four more years to make the country safer, to make the economy
stronger. (Applause.) We have more to do to make our economy
stronger, and more to do to make our future brighter and better for
every single citizen. From creating jobs, to improving schools; from
fighting terror, to spreading the peace, we have made progress. And we
still have more to do. (Applause.)

We have more to do to make sure our public schools are the centers
of excellence so that no child is left behind in America. (Applause.)
We came to office three-and-a-half years ago, too many children were
being shuffled from grade to grade, year after year, without learning
the basics. We're now challenging what I call the soft bigotry of low
expectations. We're raising the bar. We're insisting on higher
standards. (Applause.) We believe in accountability. We believe in
local control of schools. We believe in empowering parents.
(Applause.) Today, children across America are showing real progress
in reading and math. When it comes to improving our public schools,
we're turning the corner, and we're not turning back. (Applause.)

We have more to do. We've got to recognize this world of ours is
changing. The jobs of the future will require greater knowledge and
higher level skills, so we're going to reform our high schools to make
sure the high school diploma means something. (Applause.) We will
expand math and science so our young people can compete in a high tech
world. We will expand the use of the Internet to bring high-level
training in the classrooms for four more years. We'll help a rising
generation gain the skills and the competence necessary to achieve the
American Dream. (Applause.)

We have more to do to make quality health care available and
affordable. When we came to office, too many older Americans could not
afford prescription drugs and Medicare didn't pay for them. Listen,
leaders in both political party, year after year after year made
promises to American seniors. We got it done. (Applause.) More than
4 million seniors have signed up for drug discount cards that provide
real savings. And beginning in 2006, all seniors on Medicare will be
able to choose a plan that suits their needs and gives them the
coverage for prescription drugs. (Applause.)

We've expanded community health centers for low income Americans.
We've created health savings accounts so families can save, tax-free,
for their own health care needs. (Applause.) When it comes to giving
Americans more choices about their own health care, and making health
care more affordable, we're turning the corner, and we're not turning
back. (Applause.)

There's more to do. There's more to do. Most small -- most new
jobs are created by small businesses, which have trouble affording
private health insurance. To help more American families get health
insurance at reasonable costs, we must allow small employers to join
together to purchase insurance at discounts available to big
companies. (Applause.)

To improve health care we must stop the frivolous lawsuits that
raise the cost of health care. (Applause.)

THE AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more
years!

THE PRESIDENT: My opponent takes a different view.

THE AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: He blocked medical liability reform 10 times,
including twice in the past three years.

THE AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: See, I don't think you can be pro-doc, pro-patient
and pro-trial lawyer at the same time, I think you have to make a
choice. (Applause.) I think you have to make a choice. My opponent
made his choice, and he put him on the ticket. (Applause.)

I made my choice. I'll stand with the docs and the patients of
America and get medical liability reform. (Applause.) We can do more
to harness technology to reduce costs and prevent health care
mistakes. We can do more to expand research and seek new cures for
diseases. In all we do to improve health care in America, we will make
sure the health decisions are made by patients and doctors, not by
bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. (Applause.)

We have more to do to make our economy stronger. Think about what
we've been through. We've been through a recession and terror attacks
and corporate scandals. We've overcome these obstacles because the
spirit of America is strong. We've overcome these obstacles because
we've got the best, most productive workers in the world. (Applause.)
We've overcome these obstacles because we've got great farmers and
ranchers. (Applause.) We've overcome these obstacles because the
entrepreneurial spirit is strong in America, and the small business
sector of our economy is alive and well. (Applause.)

And we've overcome these obstacles because of two well-timed tax
cuts. (Applause.) We didn't pick winners or losers when it came to
tax relief. We had a fair view that said, if you pay taxes, you ought
to get relief. (Applause.) Families with children got relief.
(Applause.) Married couples got relief. (Applause.) Small businesses
that purchased equipment got relief. (Applause.) And this time, the
check was actually in the mail. (Applause.)

Because we acted, our economy since last summer has grown at a rate
as fast as any in nearly 20 years. (Applause.) Because we acted,
America has added more than 1.5 million new jobs since last August.
(Applause.) Because we acted, Pennsylvania has added more than 68,000
jobs over the past four months. (Applause.) When it comes to creating
jobs for America's workers, we're turning the corner, and we're not
turning back. (Applause.)

There's more to do. There's more to make sure America is
job-friendly and America's workplaces are family-friendly. To keep
American jobs in America, regulations should be reasonable and fair.
To keep American jobs in America, we must lessen our dependence on
foreign sources of energy. (Applause.) To keep American jobs in
America, we must end the junk lawsuits that threaten our small business
owners. (Applause.) To keep American jobs in America, we will not
overspend your money and we will keep your taxes low. (Applause.)

We will offer American workers a lifetime of learning and help them
get the training for the jobs of the future at our community colleges.
You see, the education and training they offer can be the bridge
between people's lives as they are and people's lives as they want them
to be. (Applause.) In order to keep jobs here, in order to make sure
this economy continues to grow, we will reject economic isolationism.
We will insist on a level playing field when it comes to trade. You
see, I believe this: we can compete with anybody, anytime, anywhere if
the rules are fair. (Applause.)

We'll help American families keep something they don't have nearly
enough of, and that's time, time to be with your kids, time to take
care of your elderly parents, time to help yourself by education.
Congress needs to enact what we call comp-time and flex-time, to help
American families better juggle work and home duties. (Applause.)

After four more years, with your work after four more years, there
will be better and higher-paying jobs in America, more small businesses
in America, and America will remain the greatest economic engine in the
world. (Applause.)

THE AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more
years!

THE PRESIDENT: We have more to do to wage and win the war against
terrorism. America's future depends on our willingness to lead in the
world. If America shows weakness and uncertainty in this decade, the
world will drift toward tragedy. This will not happen on my watch.
(Applause.)

The world changed on a terrible September morning. And since that
day, we changed the world. Before September the 11th, Afghanistan
served as the home base of al Qaeda, which trained and deployed
thousands of killers to set up terror cells in dozens of countries,
including our own. Today, because we acted, Afghanistan is a rising
democracy. (Applause.) Because we acted, many young girls now go to
school for the first time. (Applause.) Because we acted, last night
in Cleveland, I had the opportunity to meet a young girls' soccer team
from Afghanistan, here to compete in the International Children's
Games. (Applause.) Because we acted, Afghanistan is an ally in the
war on terror, and America and the world are safer. (Applause.)

Before September the 11th, Pakistan was a safe transit place for
terrorists. Today, Pakistan is an ally in the war against terror.
(Applause.) Pakistan forces are aggressively helping to round up the
terrorists, and America and the world are safer. (Applause.)

Before September the 11th, Saudi -- in Saudi Arabia, terrorists
were raising money, recruiting and operating with little opposition.
Today, the Saudi government is taking the fight to al Qaeda, and
America and the world are safer. (Applause.)

Before September the 11th, Libya was spending millions of dollars
on weapons of mass destruction. Today, because America and our allies
have sent a strong and clear message, the leader of Libya has abandoned
his pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, and America and the world
are safer. (Applause.)

THE AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!

THE PRESIDENT: Before September the 11thth, the ruler of Iraq was
a sworn enemy of America. He was defying the world, he was firing
weapons at American pilots, enforcing the world's sanctions. He had
pursued and used weapons of mass destruction. (Applause.) He harbored
terrorists. He invaded his neighbors. He subsidized the families of
suicide bombers. He had murdered tens of thousands of his own
citizens. He was a source of great instability in a dangerous part of
the world.

After September the 11th, we looked at all the threats of the world
in a new light. After September the 11th, this nation needs to take
threats seriously, before they fully materialize. (Applause.) The
September 11th Commission concluded our institutions of government had
failed to imagine the horror of that day. Well, after September the
11th, we could not fail to imagine, could not fail to imagine that a
brutal tyrant who hated America, and had ties to terror, and had used
weapons of mass destruction, might use those weapons or share his
deadly capabilities with the terrorists.

We looked at the intelligence and we saw a threat. Members of the
United States Congress from both political parties -- including my
opponent -- looked at the same intelligence and they saw a threat.
(Applause.) The United Nations looked at the intelligence and demanded
a full accounting --

THE AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: -- of Saddam Hussein's weapons programs. After 12
years of defiance, he again refused to comply. He deceived the weapons
inspectors, so I had a choice to make. Either forget the lessons of
September the 11th and trust a madman, or defend our country. Given
that choice, I will defend America every time. (Applause.)

THE AUDIENCE: U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

THE PRESIDENT: We have more to do. We have more to do. I'm
seeking the office for four more years, because we must -- (applause)
-- we must -- we must continue to work with our friends and allies
around the world to aggressively pursue the terrorists in places like
Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere. You see, you cannot talk sense to
these people.

THE AUDIENCE: No!

THE PRESIDENT: You cannot negotiate with them.

THE AUDIENCE: No!

THE PRESIDENT: You cannot hope for the best and hope they change.

THE AUDIENCE: No!

THE PRESIDENT: We must engage these enemies around the world so we
do not have to face them here at home. (Applause.)

America will continue to lead the world with confidence and moral
clarity. We put together a strong coalition of friends and allies to
help defeat this enemy. There are nearly 40 nations involved in
Afghanistan, some 30 nations in Iraq. Over the next four years, we'll
continue to build our alliances and work with our friends for the cause
of security and peace. But I'll never turn over America's national
security decisions to leaders of other foreign countries. (Applause.)

We'll keep our commitments to help Afghanistan and Iraq become
peaceful and democratic societies. These two nations are now governed
by leaders who believe in the hopes and aspirations of their people.
See, they know what I know: moms and dads of those countries want
their children to grow up in a peaceful world, just like the moms and
dads here in America. (Applause.) They've got dreams for their
children, just like the moms and dads in America have dreams for our
children. The people of these countries can count on our continued
help. You see, when we acted to protect our own security, we also
promised to help deliver them from tyranny, to restore their
sovereignty, to help them on the path to liberty. And when America
gives it word, America will keep its word. (Applause.)

In these crucial times, our commitments have been kept by the men
and women of our military. (Applause.)

THE AUDIENCE: U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

THE PRESIDENT: I want to thank all of the veterans who are here,
who have set such a great example for those who wear the uniform
today. (Applause.) I've had the privilege -- I've had the privilege
of meeting with those who defend our country and sacrifice for our
security. I've seen their great decency and unselfish courage. The
cause of freedom is in really good hands. They deserve -- those in the
uniform deserve the full support of our government. (Applause.)

Last September -- last September, while our troops were in combat
in both Afghanistan and Iraq, I proposed supplemental funding to
support them in their missions. That legislation provided for body
armor and for vital equipment, hazard pay, health benefits, ammunition,
fuel and spare parts. In the Senate, in the United States Senate, only
a small, what I would call out-of-the-mainstream minority --

THE AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: -- of 12 senators voted against the legislation.

THE AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: Two of those senators are my opponent and his
running mate.

THE AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: Senator Kerry tried to explain his vote by saying:
I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it.

THE AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: End quote. (Laughter.) Then he went on to say,
well, he's proud of the vote, and then he further said, the whole thing
is a complicated matter. There's nothing complicated about supporting
our troops in combat. (Applause.)

In the long run, our security is not guaranteed by military might
and force, alone. We must work to change the conditions that give rise
to terror: poverty and hopelessness and resentment. A free and
peaceful Iraq and a free and peaceful Afghanistan will be powerful
examples in a neighborhood that's desperate for freedom. (Applause.)
See, free countries do not export terror. Free countries do not stifle
the dreams of their citizens.

Free countries listen to the hopes and aspirations of their
citizens. By serving the ideal of liberty, we're bringing hope to
others. And that makes America more secure in the long run, and it
makes the world more peaceful. By serving the ideal of liberty, we're
serving the values of our country. We know that freedom is not
America's gift to the world; freedom is the Almighty God's gift to
every man and woman in this world. (Applause.)

We have more to do to protect our country, more to do to protect
America. There are enemies out there that still hate us, and they're
still plotting. Listen, the September the 11th Commission said, our
homeland is safer but we're not yet safe. I agree with that
assessment. We've started the hard process of reform. We've
transformed our defenses and are creating a new Department of Homeland
Security, ably run by former Governor of Pennsylvania Tom Ridge.
(Applause.) We passed the Patriot Act to give law enforcement new
tools to track and find terrorists. (Applause.) The mission of the
FBI is now focused on preventing terrorism. We're integrating law and
intelligence enforcement better than ever before. When it comes to
better protecting our country, we're turning a corner, and we're not
turning back. (Applause.)

There's more to do. There's more to do, to do our duty to protect
the American people. We better -- we've got to do a better job of
securing our ports and borders. (Applause.) We've got to continue to
train our first responders. We've got to dramatically improve our
intelligence-gathering capability. It's not going to be easy. It
never is. There's a lot of entrenched interests in Washington, D.C. A
lot of people got comfortable with the status quo. This administration
isn't. It's not enough just to advocate reform, you have to be able to
get it done. (Applause.)

When it comes to reforming schools to provide an excellent
education to all our children, results matter. When it comes to health
care reforms to give families more access and more choices, results
matter. When it comes to improving our economy and creating jobs,
results matter. When it comes to better securing our homeland and
spreading freedom and peace, results matter. (Applause.) And when it
comes to picking a President, results matter. (Applause.)

THE AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more
years!

THE PRESIDENT: They recently had a meeting in Boston.

THE AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: We heard a lot of -- a lot of clever speeches and
some pretty big promises. But intentions -- the good intentions of my
opponent always -- don't always translate into results. Listen, after
19 years in the Senate, he's had thousands of votes, but few signature
achievements. (Applause.) During eight years on the Senate
Intelligence Committee, he voted to cut the intelligence budget.

THE AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: Yet, he -- yet, he had no record of reforming
America's intelligence-gathering capability. He's had no significant
record of reforming education or health care. We have a difference of
opinion: He and his running mate oppose reforms that limit the power
of Washington and leave more power in the hands of the people. I
believe in limiting the power of Washington and giving more power to
the people. (Applause.)

No, I'm running against an experienced Washington, D.C.-type
senator. He's spent nearly 20 years there, and it appears that he's
concluded the government just isn't big enough.

THE AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: After all, he's proposed more than $2 trillion of
additional spending, and we're just getting started in the campaign.
(Laughter.)

THE AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: But the problem is, he hasn't told us how he's
going to pay for it. (Applause.) Yet, all we've got to do is look at
his record to determine how he's going to pay for it. He's voted time
and time and time again for higher taxes.

THE AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: You know how he's going to -- you know how he's
going to pay for his new programs? You're going to pay. But we're not
going to let him. (Applause.)

THE AUDIENCE: No! (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: Listen, we have a difference of opinion in the
campaign, a clear difference. My opponents share an old Washington
mind set: They will give the orders; you'll pay the bills.

THE AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: We're turning that corner, and we're not going
back. (Applause.)

We have a time of change in this country, a time of real rapid
change. It's an exciting time to be an American. But we've got to
make sure the government responds to these times by standing on the
side of workers and families. We want people owning things in
America. We want workers to be able to own their own health care plans
so they can take them from job to job. We want younger workers to be
able -- to be able to own a personal retirement account when it comes
to Social Security. (Applause.) An account they can call their own and
pass on from one generation to the next. (Applause.) We want more
people owning their own home in America. (Applause.) We want more
people owning their own small business. We understand that when a
person owns something, he or she has a vital stake in the future of our
country. (Applause.)

Now, in this changing world, there are some things that won't
change: our belief in liberty and opportunity and the non-negotiable
demands of human dignity. Values won't change, the values we try to
live by: courage and compassion, reverence and integrity. The
institutions that give us direction and purpose must not change; our
families, our religious congregations. (Applause.) These institutions
are fundamental to our lives, and they deserve the respect of the
government. (Applause.)

In this changing times, our values and strong beliefs will not
change. We stand for institutions like marriage and family, which are
the foundations of society. (Applause.) We stand for a culture of
life in which every person counts and every person matters.
(Applause.) We stand for judges who faithfully interpret the law,
instead of legislating from the bench. (Applause.) We stand for a
culture of responsibility in America. This culture of ours is changing
from one that has said, if it feels good, just go ahead and do it, and,
if you got a problem, blame somebody else, to a culture that says each
of us is responsible for the decisions we make in life. (Applause.)

If you are fortunate enough to be a mother or a father, you're
responsible for loving your child with all your heart and all your
soul. If you're worried about the quality of the education in the
community in which you live, you're responsible for doing something
about it. (Applause.) If you're a CEO in corporate America, you are
responsible for telling the truth to your shareholders and your
employees. (Applause.) And in this responsibility society, each of us
is responsible for loving our neighbor just like we'd like to be loved
ourselves. (Applause.)

Today I met Fay Morgan, the Executive Director of the North Hills
Community Outreach. It's a faith-based program, all aimed at feeding
the hungry, providing clothes to those who need clothes in the winter,
of helping people find a job. You know what it really is? It's a
program that's heard a higher calling, that's going to love their
neighbor just like they'd like to be loved themselves. (Applause.)

The strength of this country -- the strength of this country is not
found in our halls of our government, the strength of this country is
found in the hearts and souls of the American citizens. (Applause.)
And over the next four years, I will continue to rally the armies of
compassion to help change America one heart, one soul, one conscience
at a time. (Applause.)

For all Americans, these years in our history will stand apart.
There are quiet times in the life of a nation, when little is expected
of its leaders. This isn't one of those times. It's a time where we
need firm resolve, clear vision, strong determination.

None of us will ever forget that day when one era ended and another
began. On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin
Towers. It's a day that I will never forget. There were workers in
hard hats yelling at me: Whatever it takes. I remember working the
line, thanking people for their sacrifice and service, thanking people
for their care, for their loved ones who had rushed into harm's way. A
man grabbed me by the arm and he said: Do not let me down. He took it
personally, the people going through the rubble took that day
personally, I know you took it personally, and so did I. (Applause.)

I have a responsibility that goes on. I wake up every day thinking
about how better to protect our country and our people. I will never
relent in defending America, whatever it takes. (Applause.)

We've come through a lot together. We've come through a lot
together. And we've done the hard work. And the country is getting
better and the world is becoming more peaceful. That's what we long
for, a peaceful world, a world where people can grow up and realize
their hopes.

During the next four years, we'll spread ownership and opportunity
to every corner -- I mean, every corner -- of this country. We'll pass
the enduring values of America on to the next generation. We'll lead
the cause of freedom and peace, and we will prevail. (Applause.)

THE AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more
years!

THE PRESIDENT: Four years ago, I traveled your great state and our
wonderful nation asking for the vote and I made a pledge to my fellow
Americans. I said, if you honor me with this great responsibility, I
will uphold the dignity and the honor of the office to which I have
been elected. (Applause.) So help me, God. (Applause.)

And with your help -- and with your help, I will continue to do so
over the next four years. Thanks for coming. May God bless.
(Applause.) Thank you all. (Applause.)